Israel's Strength

National strength isn't defined by military might alone. It's also based on unity, mutual respect, and a clear sense of purpose.

One of the favorite statements that is bandied about in today's confused political and diplomatic atmosphere is that "since we are so strong, we can afford to be generous in making peace with our neighbors." Without dwelling on whether or not such a statement, even if it were true, makes any real sense or is just the usual pap fed to the public, I am searching for the source of our belief that we are strong.

For strength is not only a measure of military might, of divisions and battalions and missiles and planes, but more importantly of inner confidence and purpose. And I feel that in that strength we can still use a lot of help.

Stalin once mocked the Pope by asking: "How many divisions does he have?" And yet the truth be said, it was the current Pope who bested Communism in Eastern Europe in our time. He stared down the evil empire with a sense of moral courage and vision that all of the divisions of the Soviet army could not match. So, in the long run of events, the Pope was stronger than the Soviet system and its despots. For strength is not only a measure of physical prowess. It is surely a trait of purposeful behavior and inner serenity.

Only a very strong people could have withstood and survived the events of the centuries of the Jewish story.

The Rabbis of the Talmud said that Israel is the strongest and boldest of all nations. This was meant both as criticism of Jewish brashness and aggressiveness and a compliment to the tenacity and singleness of purpose of the Jewish people. Only a very strong people could have withstood and survived the events of the centuries of the Jewish story.

The strength of Israel was built upon an inner sense of self-worth, of being chosen and unique. It encompassed an iron determination to build and create and prosper and survive, no matter what the odds or the opposition. Our strength was built upon a vision of a better world and a holy future. It provided strength when we were obviously physically weak and persecuted.

I was struck by the fact that at the recent Martyrs' and Hero's Remembrance Day commemorations, almost all of the official speakers made reference to the fact that Israel is strong and, therefore, is the guarantor that the horrors perpetrated on the Jewish people in the past century will never be repeated. But that can only be true if there is real evidence that somehow we really do care about other Jews and are willing to do something about it.

We must also realize that even if we wish to do something about the persecution of Jews, we are limited no matter how strong we think we are. The case of the 13 Jews on trial for espionage in Iran is only one example of the impotence of the strong and difficult situations. The IDF is stronger than the Hizbullah, but our northern border is far from serene.

America was infinitely stronger than the Vietcong but was nevertheless defeated.

King Solomon had it right when he said, "Victory in war is not necessarily to the mighty."

King Solomon had it right when he said, "Victory in war is not necessarily to the mighty."

The source of meaningful strength lies in a shared vision of a society. It lies in a commonly held value system. It lies in a society that is unified in its understanding of itself in spite of all political, social and religious differences. There was an old Yiddish song that summed up the feelings of Jews in such a society. Its refrain was: "Whatever we are as individuals, we are, but we are all Jews." Somehow, that attitude of strength and unity has been lost in our current world. Today's refrain sounds like: "Whatever we are as individuals, we are, and those who are not like me are wrong." There is no national consensus any longer as to goals and visions.

Selfishness has consumed us, and the sense of sacrifice and idealistic morale that was a Jewish hallmark throughout the ages has been submerged in narrow parochial interests.

We are in a very difficult time and a very tight situation. It will require enormous strength to be able to extricate ourselves safely and securely from our present entanglements. That strength is not purely dependant upon our national will and courage.

While the expenditures on developing armed might are justified and essential for our survival, an equal expenditure of effort and wealth to build a national vision of hope and determination is necessary. To build that consensus requires honesty of expression and development of moral and spiritual resources.

We should stop boasting hollowly about how strong we are, and instead truly dedicate ourselves to attaining that inner strength which alone will guarantee serenity and peace.

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About the Author

Rabbi Berel Wein is the founder and director of the Destiny Foundation. For over 20 years, he has been identified with the popularization of Jewish history through lectures, more than 1000 audiotapes, books, seminars, educational tours and, most recently documentary films.

Rabbi Wein has authored five Jewish history books ― including Faith and Fate, the story of the Jews in the Twentieth Century ― all of which have received popular and critical acclaim. His newest book is The Oral Law of Sinai, an illustrated history of the Mishnah logic, legend & truth.

Rabbi Wein, a member of the Illinois Bar Association, is the recipient of the Educator of the Year Award from the Covenant Foundation. Most recently, Rabbi Wein received the Torah Prize Award from Machon Harav Frank in Jerusalem for his achievements in teaching Torah and spreading Judaism around the world. Rabbi Wein lives and teaches in Jerusalem. Visit his site at http://www.rabbiwein.com

I’m wondering what happened to the House of David. After the end of the Kingdom of Judah was there any memory what happened to King David’s descendants? Is there any family today which can trace its lineage to David – and whom the Messiah might descend from?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Thank you for your good question. There is no question that King David’s descendants are alive today. God promised David through Nathan the Prophet that the monarchy would never depart from his family (II Samuel 7:16). The prophets likewise foretell the ultimate coming of the Messiah, descendant of David, the “branch which will extend from the trunk of Jesse,” who will restore the Davidic dynasty and Israel’s sovereignty (Isaiah 11:1, see also Jeremiah 33:15, Ezekiel 37:25).

King David’s initial dynasty came to an end with the destruction of the First Temple and the Babylonian Exile. In an earlier expulsion King Jehoiachin was exiled by Nebuchadnezzar, together with his family and several thousand of the Torah scholars and higher classes (II Kings 24:14-16). Eleven years later the Temple was destroyed. The final king of Judah, Jehoiachin’s uncle Zedekiah, was too exiled to Babylonia. He was blinded and his children were executed (II Kings 25:7).

However, Jehoiachin and his descendants did survive in exile. Babylonian cuneiform records actually attest to Jehoiachin and his family receiving food rations from the government. I Chronicles 3:17:24 likewise lists several generations of his descendants (either 9 or 15 generations, depending on the precise interpretation of the verses), which would have extended well into the Second Temple era. (One was the notable Zerubbabel, grandson of Jehoiachin, who was one of the leaders of the return to Zion and the construction the Second Temple.)

In Babylonia, the leader of the Jewish community was known as the Reish Galuta (Aramaic for “head of the exile,” called the Exilarch in English). This was a hereditary position recognized by the Babylonian government. Its bearer was generally quite wealthy and powerful, well-connected to the government and wielding much authority over Babylonian Jewry.

According to Jewish tradition, the Exilarch was a direct descendant of Jehoiachin. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 5a) understands Genesis 49:10 – Jacob’s blessing to Judah that “the staff would not be removed from Judah” – as a reference to the Exilarchs in Babylonia, “who would chastise Israel with the staff,” i.e., who exercised temporal authority over the Jewish community. It stands to reason that these descendants of Judah were descendants of David’s house, who would have naturally been the leaders of the Babylonian community, in fulfillment of God’s promise to David that authority would always rest in his descendants.

There is also a chronological work, Seder Olam Zutta (an anonymous text from the early Middle Ages), which lists 39 generations of Exilarchs beginning with Jehoiachin. One of the commentators to Chronicles, the Vilna Gaon, states that the first one was Elionai of I Chronicles 3:23.

The position of Exilarch lasted for many centuries. The Reish Galuta is mentioned quite often in the Talmud. As can be expected, some were quite learned themselves, some deferred to the rabbis for religious matters, while some, especially in the later years, fought them and their authority tooth and nail.

Exilarchs existed well into the Middle Ages, throughout the period of the early medieval scholars known as the Gaonim. The last ones known to history was Hezekiah, who was killed in 1040 by the Babylonian authorities, although he was believed to have had sons who escaped to Iberia. There are likewise later historical references to descendants of the Exilarchs, especially in northern Spain (Catelonia) and southern France (Provence).

Beyond that, there is no concrete evidence as to the whereabouts of King David’s descendants. Supposedly, the great French medieval sage Rashi (R. Shlomo Yitzchaki) traced his lineage to King David, although on a maternal line. (In addition, Rashi himself had only daughters.) The same is said of Rabbi Yehuda Loewe of Prague (the Maharal). Since Ashkenazi Jews are so interrelated, this is a tradition, however dubious today, shared by many Ashkenazi Jews.

In any event, we do not need be concerned today how the Messiah son of David will be identified. He will be a prophet, second only to Moses. God Himself will select him and appoint him to his task. And he himself, with his Divine inspiration, will resolve all other matters of Jewish lineage (Maimonides Hilchot Melachim 12:3).

Yahrtzeit of Kalonymus Z. Wissotzky, a famous Russian Jewish philanthropist who died in 1904. Wissotzky once owned the tea concession for the Czar's entire military operation. Since the Czar's soldiers numbered in the millions and tea drinking was a daily Russian custom, this concession made Wissotzky very rich. One day, Wissotzky was approached by the World Zionist Organization to begin a tea business in Israel. He laughed at this preposterous idea: the market was small, the Turkish bureaucracy was strict, and tea leaves from India were too costly to import. Jewish leaders persisted, and Wissotzky started a small tea company in Israel. After his death, the tea company passed to his heirs. Then in 1917, the communists swept to power in Russia, seizing all of the Wissotzky company's assets. The only business left in their possession was the small tea company in Israel. The family fled Russia, built the Israeli business, and today Wissotzky is a leading brand of tea in Israel, with exports to countries worldwide -- including Russia.

Building by youth may be destructive, while when elders dismantle, it is constructive (Nedarim 40a).

It seems paradoxical, but it is true. We make the most important decisions of our lives when we are young and inexperienced, and our maximum wisdom comes at an age when our lives are essentially behind us, and no decisions of great moment remain to be made.

While the solution to this mystery eludes us, the facts are evident, and we would be wise to adapt to them. When we are young and inexperienced, we can ask our elders for their opinion and then benefit from their wisdom. When their advice does not coincide with what we think is best, we would do ourselves a great service if we deferred to their counsel.

It may not be popular to champion this concept. Although we have emerged from the era of the `60s, when accepting the opinion of anyone over thirty was anathema, the attitude of dismissing older people as antiquated and obsolete has-beens who lack the omniscience of computerized intelligence still lingers on.

Those who refuse to learn from the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them. We would do well to swallow our youthful pride and benefit from the teachings of the school of experience.

Today I shall...

seek advice from my elders and give more serious consideration to deferring to their advice when it conflicts with my desires.

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